Door opener



J, BECKER DOOR OPENER March 1, 1932.

Filed Dec. 16, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet llllllllllllllllllllllllllll l| INVENTOR.

J. BECKER March 1, 1932.

D OOR OPENER Filed Dec. 16, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g A i III/1111111111 Patented Mar. 1, 1932 'imoon BECKER, or 20 mm, oaneon I -App1ication filed recemberis, I930. swarm. 502327. I

My invention relates to .door openers in which aratchet mechanism and a toggle joint areconnected with a door, and in'which mechanically operated cables from a distantly l cated-starting post leadto the ratchetmechanism.

llhe objects of myinvention .areto produce a device by means of which one, or several doors simultaneously, c'an-Tbe opened or closed "from a distance; which is operated 1nechani-- 'cally, that is, without the intervention of any motor, so that; this device "can be used where automatic powerof any description is not available, or desirable; which can be- 41 locked to prevent unauthorizeduse; wh ch can .be operatedby an automobiledriver from his seat; and with which even heavy doors canbehandledby a womanor-achild.

- Other objects and advantages arejto be found in the construction and arrangement. of parts as will be described 1I1ith6-SpC1fiCt tion and particularly pointed outin the appendedclaims. 1 V a I attaintthese obj cots with the m'echanism,

illustrated in the ac mp g in which: I

Fig. 1 shows, in elevation, -the relatwepo- :sitions of .a. garage and the starting post. j

Fig.2 is a brokenplanview of Fig. 1 with 'the essential details shownon an enlarged scale; 7 Fig. 3 is a partial elevationof-FigJ-Q along the'line 3- 3. f v

- FigJl is an-elevation of the shaft driving mechanism. I

Fig.5 is aperspective .View-ofFig. 4 with some-of the elements separated from each other inorderito show variouspertinentrdetails more clearly.

4 Fig.6 isa vertical section .through the head :of the starting .post :with the-crank in half-- way-position. 1 r

Fig. 7 is'a perspective View :of ioneof the pulleys in 'Fig.=6,"but returned @to normal or .starting'position, p .Fig. 8iis a-sectionthrough Fig. 6 along the ;line8I-8. v 1 "r v Similar snumerals 1referg1torsimilar parts :throughoutathe: several views. ,1

5 Referring to Fig. 2, a shaft 1 insuitable door frame, parallel to the closed doors 4. Foreach door there isprovided, on the shaft 1, a' worm 5,-Which-engagesa worm wheel .6,

and therebyoperates va toggle joint. 7 whose one end is firmly aiiixedto the bottom of the worm wheel -6, while the other .end is pivotally attached to the side of the door/i. At one end of the shaftl is a driving mecha nism the deta-ils-of which are illustrated :in

Figs. 4 and 5, and whichconsistsofa small gear 8 firmly mountedon the shaft 1 aanda large gear-9rotatably mounted on the god- .geon 10. Each side of thislarge gear.,9 has radiallyrdireoted-ratchet teeth ll;and.l2, with the teeth on one side pointing :in one direction-while theteeth onvthe other. sidepointzin opposite direction. Also ,rotatably mounted :on tliegudgeonlO, are two pulleys 13Ian'd vl4, one on each side ofthelarge gear,i9. To

the periphery ofthepulley lBisattached a.

radially slidable pawl l5 and .tothe .pulley 14,.a.,radially s'lidable pawl 16, said paw1Tbe ing adapted to engage the ratchet, teeth' ll Normally thepawl 15 r and 12 respectively. is'held in elevated position by ,a'compression spring such as shown at 17 and which .is inserted between the hub of the pulleyj1'3 and the pawl 15. Pawl l6'has/asiniilararrangement. A cable 18, isled' over the upper half of the pulley 13 and. over the -top .of-the pawl 15. A similar arrangement prevails between cablef19,}pulley 15, andpawl 16; Cables and pawls are firmlyconnected with each other in any suitable manner. One ,endof each cable '18 and'19'isattached to aitension spring such as'shown at 20 in Ti .1 and whichmay be anchored in any 'suita le manner to the ground or to-the garage wall 21 as shownfin .Fig. 1.' The other end of reach cable 1 8and "19leacls through an underground 'condliit 22 equipped with suitable anti-friction devices toa starting.post,-inlthehead;23 or which are two pulleys Qand 25.. "Theen'dslofthe two cables 18 and 19 fromthejdri vingmechanism are attached'to blocks 26 and 27 =(Figs.-.6 and 7 on the-rims; of these2two;pulleys 24. and=; {so that .upon partial rotation of one fpulley, =the cable pertaining ithereto will the wound gpartly around the rim. The Shub ofieach' bgai-i se is attached to the lintel' 3 of the a flat key 35 with a suitable bit 36 is inserted in the barrel 29 and turned ninetydegrees the T-bolt 31 is raised into the slotted hub 28 and.

the pulley 24 is compelled to follow the movement of the crank 30.; A similar bit 37 for the other pulley 25 is provided on the opposide' edge of the key 35. The rotatable, slotted pin 38 which guides the proper key into the barrel 29 is held in place by a screw 39 at the rear end of the pin 38.

To close the door, the key 35 is inserted into the barrel 29 so that the bit 36 will lift the T-bolt 31 into the door-closing pulley 24. Thereupon the crank 30 is moved a hundred and eighty degrees until arrested by the stop 40" (Fig. 2) on the outside of the head 23. The movement of the crank 30 will exert a pull on the cable 18 which will first depress the'pawl 15 in the pulley 13 to engage one of the ratchet teeth 11 as the pull in the cable 18 continues, the large gear 9 will begin to rotate and to transmit its rotation to :the small gear 8,'the shaft 1 with its worm 5, and the worm gear 6, and thereby actuate the toggle joint 7 which tends to close the door 4.

The return of the crank 30 to normal starting 'position is accomplished by the tension spring 20 at the other end of the cable 18; the movement of the crank 30 'is repeated until the door 4 is fully closed.

.To openthe (100mm key is taken out and reinserted so that the other bit will actuate the T-bolt for the door-opening pulley, then case however will, be exerted .by the tension 7 spring at the opposite end of the cable; the

crank is merely used to pull the pawl to the k proper toothof the ratchet wheel, after which the tension spring does the actual work of turning the large gear. i v I f The shaft driving mechanism is enclosed by, a'hood' 41 as shown in Fig. l to furnish the bearings for the gudgeon 10.

Thewasher 42 (Fig. ,2) holds the barrel "29' and theslotted pin 38 in the head 23.

- Having thus described my invention, it will be seen that my objects have been accomplished and though I have shown the pre- 1 ably mounted in the head and freely supporting the pulley, a crank rigidly attached to the ban-(slat th'eoutside of the head, a slotted pin rotatably mounted at the axis of the barrel, a

flat key inserted in the slotted pin, said key havinga bit, a radially. extended T-bolt slidably mounted in the barrel, a compression spring around the T-bolt holding said T-bolt normally in retracted position, said key upon a turn of ninety degrees being adapted to project the T-bolt; said pulley having a slotted hub adapted-to be engaged by the projected Y T-bolt. H 2. Ina-door opener, the combination of a starting post including a head, a barrel rotatably mounted within the head, a crank rigidly attached to the barrel at the outside of the'head, a radially extending T-bolt slidably mounted inthe barrel, a pulley freely mounted on the barrel, said pulley having a slotted hub, and means to raise the T-bolt into the slotted hub to connect the pulley with the barrel so-that the pulley rotates in unison with the movement of the crank.

3. In a door opener, the combination of opening and closing means attached to the door, said means including a cable, a distantly located starting" post at one end of the cable, said starting postincluding a head,

a pulley mounted in the head, said cable being attached to the pulley, a barrel rotatably mounted in the head, a crank attached to the barrel and locking means between the barrel and the pulley.

4. In a door opener, the combination'of a shaft, a door, foldable connecting means between shaft anddoor, a driving mechanism" at the end of the shaft, a cable to actuate the driving mechanism, a distantly located starting post, a pulley in the starting post,

said cable being firmly afiixed to the pulley,

a crank cooperating with the pulleyto exert a pull onthe cable, and locking means to engage and disengage the crank from the pulley, said locking means including a safety ey. V V 5. Ina door opener, the combination of a shaft, a door, folding connections between shaft anddoor, a driving mechanism at the end of the shaft, said driving mechanism including a pawl and ratchet device, a cable firmly affixed to the pawl, and actuating the ratchet, a tension springattached to oneend of the cable, a distantly located crank attached to the other end of the cable, and optefating means-between the crank and the ea c. a 7.

6. In a door opener, the combination of a rotating shaft, a door, a toggle point between the shaft and door, a driving mechanism at the end of the shaft, said driving mechanism comprising a small gear on the shaft, a larger gear engaging the small gear, radially extending ratchet teeth in each side of the large gear, the teeth on one side pointing.

in a direction opposite to those of the other side, a pulley on eachside of the large gear, a radially directed pawl slidably mounted in the rim of each pulley, said pawl being adapted to engage the ratchet teeth, a compression spring in the pulley, holding the pawl normally free of the ratchet teeth, a cable leading over the pulley and over thetop of the pawl, and distantly located means to exert a manual pull on the cable and bring the pawl in contact With the ratchet teeth.

7. In a door opener, the combination of a door frame, a door in the door frame, a horizontal shaft attached to the door frame and parallel to the closed door, a worm firmly affixed to the shaft, a worm gear rotated by the worm, a toggle-joint between the worm gear, and the door, driving mechanism at the end of the shaft, and distantly located means to operate the driving mechanism manually.

8. In a door opener, the combination of a door frame, a horizontally swinging door in the door frame, a horizontal shaft attached to the door frame, and parallel to the closed door, a toggle-joint pivotally afiixed to the door and operated by the shaft, a driving mechanism at the end of the shaft, a distantly located starting post, an underground conduit between the starting post and the driving mechanism, a cable from the starting post proceeding through the underground conduit to the driving mechanism, a crank in the starting post, and operating means between the cable and the crank, said operating means including, a pulley having a slotted hub, and a barrel having a reciprocating T-bolt, to engage the slotted hub.

In testimony whereof I afi'ix my signature.

JACOB BECKER. 

